Milking machine and temperature control in combination therewith



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Feb. 27, 1962 FIGA ATTORNEY Y, s encanto ernennen i i m cori.

Filed Apr. 23, i959, No. ilifld.

Claims. (Cl. ll9--ld.ild)

'iliisinvention relates to milking machines and, more particularly, to machines for milking animals and simul taneously indicating the body temperature of the animal being milked.

The basic feature of this invention is the combination ot'a temperature indicating device and a milking machine to create a simple means ot detecting certain illnesses in milking animals by the determination of the temperature of the milk as it is withdrawn from the ridder of the animal. The could be any of the genus of mammals but, in the general situation, will be a bovine cow.

One of the major problems in the dairy industry is the early detection of disease so that treatment can be initiated before the condition becomes untenable or before milk from the diseased animal has passed to the consumer. Because of the commercialization of the milking industry with the recent increase in the utilization of hired help who may not be sufficiently observant to detect the early symptoms of disease, the problem of early detection of disease is increasing. Thus, some means of creating a simple expeditious procedure which can become a part or" the total milking procedure to assist in the early detection of disease is needed.

The present invention makes it possible to readily deermine the presence of diseases which have, as part of their symptomatology, an increase in the body tempera ture the animal. This can be detected by the present invention. i -is makes it possible to readily detect that large class of conditions which fall in the infectious disease category and leaves only the metabolic diseases to be detected by ordinary means.

rhe present invention contemplates the use of a direct reading thermometer or the use or" a thermocouple connected to a remotely situated indicating and/r recording instrument. The temperature sensitive portion or" the device is either `irectly in the path of flow of milk or in proximity thereto and, having a highly conductive diaphragm therebetwen, it will indicate substantially the milk temperature. Since the temperature sensing element is so close t@ the body of the animal, the 'temperature of the milk at this point will be substantially that of the animal and, therefore, the animals body temperature will be indicated.

l't is, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide a combination milking machine and temperature indicating device which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and simple and eiiicient to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved combination of temperature indicating instrument and milking machine.

Still another obiect of the invention is to provide a new combination of milking machine and temperature indicating device.

A further object of the 'iiif'ention is to provide an improved new combination of ing machine and temperature recording device.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, Size, proportions and minor details of construction Without departing from hjidh Patented lieb. 27, i962 'he spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

in. the drawing:

FIG. l is a side view or" a milking unit with an indicating thermometer mounted thereon;

FIV. 2 is a partial cross sectional View taken on line 2 2 of FlG. l;

FG. 3 is a cross sectional View similar to FIG. 2 of another embodiment of the invention;

FlG. 4 is a cross sectional view of a teat cup milk line of still another embodiment of the invention; and

FlG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a remote recording instrument in combination with a milking machine.

Now with more specific reference to the drawing, FGS. l and 2 show a manifold unit lil having milk passage tubes lo', manifold Walls il, and an indicating thermometer l2 mounted in the manifold Walls lll. A sensing device including a sensing bulb i3 and a plate is so located that milk from an animal being milked engages a plate la which is in contact with the bulb i3. A milk discharge tube i7 extends from the manifold Wall il to be connected to a hose communicating with a milk can. individual teat cups from which vacuum is applied from a connector are connected to the passage tubes and a vacuum line to a 'tube The connectors 2li communicate from a manifold 21 to the tube i9.

in operation, the milk is drawn from the animal down into Athe t passage 'tubes lo and into the manifold unit lll where the plate is attached to the inside of the manifold Wall 'ill of the manifold unit iid. A hole i8 through the manifold wall il receives the thermometer bulb i3 which acts as a sensing element and which rests against the plate ld. The plate la may be made of silver or other goed thermal conductive material. The dial type thermometer l2 or other suitable temperature indicating instrument will be attached to the thermometer bulb i3.

Holding the thermometer bulb i3 in place and packed around the lateral sides thereof is an insulation material l5 which will not conduct heat from the Walls ll. to the bulb i3. rlhis will not cause the thermometer reading be affected by the temperature of the manifold wall lil but, rather, the milk engaging the plate la will bring the plate ld to the temperature of the milk which will be transferred to the thermometer bulb 13 and the thermometer l2 Will register the milk temperature. The operator can thus observe the milk temperature and thereby check the temperature of the milk given by the animal as it flows through the manifold unit lil and out the discharge tubes l? to the Waiting containers. The milk temperature will be the same as the animals ridder temperature. Thus, an ill animal can be noted readily and her milk may be rejected.

Another embodiment of this invention is disclosed herein and illustrated in FIG. 3. Manifold Walls lill of a manifold unit such as the manifold unit lill in FIG. l are shown. Themocouple wire 'H5 passes through the manifold wall lll' and is in contact With a silver plate lila. Thus, the milk passing over the silver plate 1M changes the temperature of the thermocouple to that of the milk. The resulting voltage generated by the thermocouple will be registeded on a suitable galvanometer situated at some location remote from the thermocouple. The galvanoineter will be calibrated in degrees temperature.

in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4, each teat cup will be provided with a thermometer or thermocouple arrangement. Cnc teat cup having Walls lo is shown in partial cross section. By this arrangement, the milk temperature from each quarter of the animals udder may be observed. he temperature of one quarter actuates a thermocouple directly in the milk stream and may be recorded on four separate recording instruments or a single instrument may be used with Suitable switching.

A thermocoupling Wire 215 is passed through the rubher walls of a conventional teat cup or it could be passed through the rubber Walls of the milk passage tubes 2id as seen in FIG. 4. The wire 215 extends into the hollow section of the Wall Z and the milk directly from the animal ows thereover. The thermocouple responds to any change of temperature of the milk as it Hows through the teat cup. A hole 217 is of a smaller diameter than the wire 215, thereby forming a seal around the wire 2115. The wire 21S can be Withdrawn for cleaning purposes, therefore providing a sanitary device.

FIG. 5 shows a manifold unit 31) similar t@ the manifold unit 1li shown in FIG. l. The manifold unit 31@ has a pipe 3l? and a hole in its manifold wall 311 similai` to the h ole 18 shown in FlG. 2 and covered by a plate 314. The hole receives a conventional thermocouple which is connected by wires 31S to a recording instrument 316 which may be any of the Well known temperature recording instruments.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification Within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are deiined as follows:

l. In a milking machine having a milk conducting manifold including milk delivery and discharge tubes as a part thereof, a temperature indicating device having a sensing portion within said manifold in thermoconducting relation with mi k in said manifold whereby the temperature of said milk will be indicated by said temperature indicating device.

2. The milking machine recited in claim 1 wherein said temperature indicating device comprises a recording instrument disposed remotely from said milking machine.

3. The milking machine recited in claim l wherein said temperature indicating device comprises a temperature recording instrument disposed remotely from said milking machine and said sensing portion comprises a thermocouple.

4. The machine recited in claim l wherein said temperature indicating device comprises an indicating thermometer.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED `STATES PATENTS 2,625,643 Corsis Jan. 13, 1953 2,755,999 Vickers July 24, 1956 2,892,347 Laprand June 30, 1959 2,898,549 Miller Aug. 4, 1959 

